Bulkhead-door.



No. 678,407. Patented luly l6, [90L H. LEE.

' BULKHEAD 000B.

(Aiaplicltion filed Dec. 18, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Shoot I.

(In Nodal.)

Svwewtoz A WMM Q Touwa, wnsumown n c No. 678,407. Patented July l6, l90l. H. LEE. BULKHEAD 0008.

(Application filed Doc. 1B, 1900:)

2 Sheets-Sheet z{ (Nonodal.)

In I 00.. mm, nan-afoul. m c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC HAROLD LEE, OF EAST ORANGE, NElV JERSEY.

BULKHEAD-DOOR. v

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 678,407, dated July 16, 1901.

Application filed December 18, 1900- Serial No. 40,232. (No model.)

To otZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HAROLD LEE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of East Orange, Essex county, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Doors for Water-Tight Bulkheads, of which the following is a specification.

The object of myinvention is to provide a door for water-tight bulkheads on board ships or for use in any place where such constructions are desirable. It is in most casesnecessary that this door shall be a sliding door. It has been found that if rubber or soft packing were used for making the joint tight the sliding action of the door would in a short time destroy the usefulness of the packing. This fact has led to the adoption of metallic packings, and this has necessitated the most careful grinding and preparation of the surfaces in contact, thus making the construction a very expensive one. With my invention, however, rubber or soft packings of any kind may be used, and the construction is such that there is no motion of the packing upon the other part of the joint.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a representation of the door and a portion of the bulkhead. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section. Fig. 4: is a horizontal section on a larger scale, parts being broken away.

Arepresents the bulkhead,having the doororifice B. Secured around the orifice is an angle-iron 0, one part of this angle-iron forming a bead or rib D, which is one part of the packed joint between the door and the bulkhead. Attached to this bulkhead is a second angle-iron E, one arm F of which supports a grooved rail G. There are two of these angleirons and grooved rails, one at the top and the other at the bottom of the orifice through the bulkhead.

' The sliding door H is made of metal in any desired manner and of any desired weight and thickness. Attached to the inner side of the door or that side next the bulkheadare two angle-irons I and J, and between these angle-irons is held the packing K, as'will be clearly understood from an inspection of the drawings, especially Figs. 2, 3, and 4. The angle-iron J is made easily removable, so that the packing can be renewed very quickly when necessary. To the other side of the door are attached lugs L, having projections M, which slide in the groove of the rail G. The projections on the lugs at the left-hand side of the door, looking at Fig. 1, are made wider than those on the opposite side of the door fora reason hereinafter explained. The inner part of the grooved rails is cut away at the points g g opposite these projections M when the door isin position for closing. This construction is clearly indicated in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings. at the right of the door looking at Fig. 1 is narrower than that at the left. These cutout portions are of practically the same widths as the projections which come'oppo sitethem when the door is in position for closlng.

From this construction it will be understood that the operation of the door is as follows: The door is shown in Fig. 2 in section and in Figs. 3 and i in section in a position to be closed tight. In this position it will be seen that as the inner part of the grooved rail opposite the projections which slide in the groove is cut away the door can be forced directly toward the bulkhead, thus bringing the packing to bear upon the rib. The door is secured in this position by bolts P, of any desired construction. By setting these bolts when the door is closed the packing will be made to bear on the rib D, thus insuring an absolutely-tight joint, and owing to the nature of the packing I am enabled to dispense with the tr uing up of the rib D, the packing itself allowing for inequalities of the surface. To open the door, the bolts are loosened, and it is possible then to move the door positively and directly away from the bulkhead. This brings the projections M in position to slide along the grooves of the rail, so that the door can then be moved sidewise. It will be seen from that that there is absolutely no sliding motion of the packing upon its corresponding rib, but that all motions of the door in this respect are directly toward it or directly away from it. y In order that the projections on the left- The cut-out portion.

hand side of the door, considering the door to be moved toward the right in opening, shall not be caught in the cut-out portion of the rail on the right-hand side of the door, the last-mentioned cut-out portion and the corresponding projections on the door are made narrower than those on the other side, as above described. This insures that the lug on the left-hand side of the door will pass by the cut-out portion on the right.

Doors of light construction or small size may be moved toward or from the bulkhead by means of a handle Q; but in doors of larger size or of heavy construction I provide mechanical devices for forcing the door away from the closed position. This is illustrated in the various figures of the drawings, and in this instance consists of two angle-levers R, pivoted to lugs on the bulkhead, two at the top and two at the bottom. (See Fig. 1.) One of the arms of each pair of these anglelevers is connected by an operating-rod S. The other ends of the anglelevers bear against some portion of the dooras, for instance, the angle-irons I, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. From this construction it will be seen that by forcing up the rod S at the top of the door and bearing down on rod S at the bot tom of the door the door proper will be forced directly away from the bulkhead into the open position. This mechanism is so constructed that it will not obstruct the closing of the door.

It will be obvious that many forms of opening devices may be used, if desired. It will also be obvious that many of the details of construction may be changed without departing from my invention.

While I have described a door sliding horizontally, it will be obvious that the construction may be so changed as to have the door slide vertically or may be used with hinged doors, and this I contemplate as a part of my invention.

the combination of a bulkhead having a seat,

a door having a packing-ring, and means independent of any operating mechanism-to prevent sliding contact between the seat and the packing-ring, substantially as described.

2. In a closure for water-tight bulkheads, the combination of a bulkhead having a seat, a door having a packing-ring, and means whereby the door in the first motion of opening and the last motion of closing is made to move directly away from and toward the bulkhead, and means independent of any operating means to prevent motion toward or from the bulkhead, save when the door is in the closing position, substantially as described.

3. In a closure for water-tight bulkheads, the combination of a bulkhead having a seat, a sliding door having a packing-ring, and means for holding the packing-ring out of contact with the seat until the door is in a closing position, and means independent of any operating means for preventing motion of the door toward the bulkhead when in any other position, substantially as described.

4:. In a closure for water-tight bulkheads, the combination of a bulkhead having a seat, a sliding door having a packing-ring, and a grooved rail in which said door slides, lugs on said door engaging the grooves in the rail, said rail being cut out on the side next the bulkhead only at points opposite the positions of the lugs when the packing-ring is opposite the seat on the bulkhead, substantially as described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 8th day of December, 1900.

HAROLD LEE.

Witnesses:

LoUIs N. WHEAL'roN, FREDERICK B. MAERKLE. 

